How do I know if my dog has allergies?

Is your dog licking his paws raw? It may well be your pet is experiencing allergies, one of the most common health problems for pets. Just like people, animals have allergic reactions because their immune system--the system that protects the body from foreign and potentially infectious substances--overreacts to some material. Almost anything--pollen, dust, an ingredient in pet food, a household chemical, an insect bite--can set off an alarm in the immune system, causing it to pump out large amounts of white blood cells, hormones, and other material called histamines into the bloodstream. The result for animals can be a range of different effects, including itchy, swollen skin--known as pruritis--difficulty breathing, or a disruption of the digestive tract such as vomiting or diarrhea. These symptoms are the animal equivalent of a person's sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes.


Dogs with these kinds of allergic symptoms can be pretty miserable creatures, and unfortunately they can't be cured. Allergies are life-long, chronic problems. The good news is that there's a lot you can do to help your animal "children" feel better. The best way to start is to find out what your dog is allergic to, so you can keep the allergen out of his environment. Animal allergies generally fall under one of four main categories.


Contact allergies

These are the least common type of allergy in animals. They happen when an animal's skin comes in contact with the material he's allergic to--if he rubs his face against a wool blanket, for example, and he's allergic to wool. The chemicals in flea collars can cause this problem as well. The skin at the point of contact will be irritated--it may itch, become thickened or discolored, have a strong odor, and/or lose hair due to constant biting or scratching. Contact allergies are generally not a hard problem to solve--they're usually confined to a specific area of an animal's body, and the allergen shouldn't take too much work to discover. You can try removing different materials that your dog touches until you find the one that irritates his skin.


Food allergies

Diet can be a complicated factor in dog allergies. Most animals are not born with allergies to food; their immune systems develop an allergic response over time to some part of their diet, often one of the animal proteins. A food allergy can present in a lot of different ways, including the itching, digestive disorders, and respiratory distress already mentioned. They can be a real challenge to solve, however. You can try to figure out what's causing your dog's allergic reaction by feeding him different diets, but the allergic effects of food can stay in the system for eight weeks. You may have to keep your furry friend on a special hypoallergenic (non-allergy-causing) diet for eight to twelve weeks to see how he reacts, and you may have to do it several times with several different diets before you find one that doesn't cause an allergic reaction. And while you're feeding these test diets, you'll have to make very sure that your dog doesn't eat any treats, vitamins, leftovers or scraps, or even plants around the house. He has to eat the test diet exclusively for the entire eight to twelve weeks to determine whether he has an allergic reaction to it.


Inhalant allergy

Inhalant allergies are the kind we humans are most used to. Just like us, our pets get hay fever, meaning they can be allergic to the pollen and mold that fills the outside air during the spring and fall. They can also be allergic to the dust mites, mildew, and mold that can be inside every home. These kinds of allergens usually produce severe itching in dogs, which is usually concentrated in the ears, feet, groin, and armpits, though it can be spread across the entire body. Dogs in particular may develop hairless, irritated "hot spots" from constantly chewing on and scratching the affected skin.

Most animals that are allergic to airborne particles are usually allergic to more than one. Often, they will only experience itching during the pollen-heavy seasons of the year, just like humans with hay fever. If you find that your dog's allergies seem to be seasonal, you may be able to limit his outdoor time during allergy season. Your dog may be reacting to an indoor allergen, however, or an allergen that doesn't vary by season. In that case, there's not much you can do to keep him away from whatever he's allergic to, though an air filter might provide some relief.


Flea allergies

This is an extremely common problem for dogs, possibly the most common allergy of all. Animals aren't actually allergic to the fleas themselves, but to proteins that fleas secrete in their saliva when they bite. Your pet doesn't have to be a walking flea circus to suffer from an allergy, either. Affected animals can itch severely from a single bite for over five days! So, if you suspect your pet is allergic to fleas, you're going to have to work very hard to keep the little pests away. Frequent baths are a good idea, as are the prescription flea applications and pills. Consult your veterinarian when you chose a flea repellent for your dog, though; the wrong kind or too strong of a concentration could cause irritated skin, seizures, and even death in extreme cases. You will also want to treat your pet's environment, including any bedding or carpeting he comes in contact with.

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